


It provides a wide variety of templates alongside the ability to design from scratch using a selection of different CAD tools. Whether you want to light up an LED or build an autonomous robot, TinkerCAD provides a simple yet powerful solution. It’s suitable for a wide variety of applications, from 2D electronics CAD to 3D designs and coding.įor example, it’s very popular for creating electronic designs such as circuit boards. In fact, this free CAD software for Mac is widely used in classrooms and is one of the easiest to learn. TinkerCAD is a free web-based program that can be used on Mac and other devices, including iPad and iPhone, and is one of the best options for beginners out there. The company no longer develops Sketchup Make, its free desktop software, but you can download it from Trimble's archives.Fairly basic CAD capabilities compared to other programs The SketchUp website offers a really impressive array of video and self-paced training options to help you along the way. Of course, if you're looking to put out detailed designs with accurate sizing and tolerances, you'll need to spend some time learning the ins and outs of the program. Even if you've never done any CAD work or 3D modeling before, you can pull together some really nice presentations in minutes.

The interface makes it easy to get up to speed on the basics. SketchUp's free web-based version has plenty of power, but if you need additional functionality, you have to buy SketchUp Pro-and pay a hefty price tag. Trimble has enhanced it and developed it further and now offers a slew of related products. In 2012, Google sold the product to Trimble. SketchUp was originally developed by Google and was one of the greatest free CAD packages ever put on the market. Free feature is web-only with many important features hobbled.
